Hartford Courant columnist/ex-GOP state legislator Kevin F. Rennie will be contributing exclusive dispatches from Connecticut throughout the evening.

Democratic primary voter turnout was varying between 20%-25% by 1pm in communities around Connecticut. Towns with a direct interest in the primaries, with ties one of the candidates or an ethnic affinity, were at the upper end. Local election officials expect a final burst of voters to appear between 4:30 and 6 p.m. Most of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities will not, at the current rate, reach a turnout of more than 35%.

Lieberman is prepared to file nearly 20,000 signatures tomorrow to secure an independent place on the ballot in November. He understands that many familiar Democrats will abandon him if he loses tonight, no matter what the margin. A call from Bill Clinton is likely and will not succeed in chasing Lieberman from the race.

The three term Democrat will likely run a more aggressive campaign in the fall. While campaign realists expect Lieberman will fall short tonight, they believe he gained ground by taking the fight to Lamont, particularly over his recent shedding of a 16 year membership in an exclusive Greenwich country club in preparation for donning the costume of a populist. [KEVIN F. RENNIE]